Summer Brothers
by twouble
Summary: When Sirius runs away from home where else is he going to go, but to his best friend's house?
1. Moving In

**A/N: I've always loved James & Sirius's brotherly relationship and this idea came to me, I'm not sure how long it'll be, it might only be a three/four parter, or I may continue it after that, depends how attached I become to it:)**

It was surprisingly wet for a July night when Sirius Black got off a bus in the middle of nowhere, there was no bus stop around and had anyone seen Sirius appear suddenly they might have been under the impression that he had arrived by magic. There was no one around though, and he tugged on the handle of a huge brown trunk silently, pulling it with some difficulty towards the only building visible for miles. He rapped hard on the door of a large house, hoping that there would be someone home. The door opened, although there appeared to be no one there, he stepped inside out of the rain and shut it behind him. Normally he would never have walked into a house uninvited, but Sirius knew this house well. He also knew that there was only one person who lived there that was too lazy to actually get up and answer the door.

"Prongs?" He called out, his best friend stuck his head out from a nearby room.

"Padfoot!" James Potter jumped to his feet on the sight of his closest companion and partner in crime. He gave him a brief hug before pulling away with a look of distaste on his face. "You're soaked."

"Yeah, I didn't have much time to worry about finding a cloak and the Knight Bus just dumped me at the end of the path, but I was waiting in the rain for it ages…"

"Knight Bus? This isn't an off the cuff visit then? I'm offended, Padfoot, I thought you were just here to see your very best friend." He grinned, but it faded when he saw Sirius didn't return it, but merely shifted his gaze to the doorway, where a his trunk lay, it was emblazoned with a large crest, James knew it was their school crest. That was Sirius' school trunk, and as he registered the look on his friend's face, he suspected that the majority of his worldly belongings were in it. "Have you…you actually…_left_?"

Sympathy had never been James' strong point, and Sirius knew that this was probably as close as he'd get. He nodded bitterly. "I need to stay, just the night, I'll think of somethin' after that, pester Andromeda or something…."

"You think my mum'll chuck you out? Oh no mate, she won't let you go now you're here."

Right on cue Mrs Potter walked down the stairs, she smiled when she saw Sirius. "James, you appear to have cloned yourself again." She smiled at her young son, almost everyone who met the two boys mistook them for brothers, they were very similar in appearance and inseparable from September until July, parting only for the summer holidays, although that was always reluctantly.

"Mum…Sirius is…"

"Is what, dear? In our hallway? I'd noticed." She turned to the second boy, whom she regarded as a second son, with a kind smile on her face. "This is a nice surprise." She embraced him and then, over his shoulder, spotted his trunk. "I know you were coming before school started but it's still July, you've got another month to go, I never expected you of all people to be that keen to get back!"

"He's not here because of school, Mum." Mrs Potter's face hardened and she patted Sirius' cheek affectionately.

"What have your parents done now?" Normally if a teenage boy ran away from home, arriving on their friend's doorstep late in the evening, the adult occupants of the house would expect for the teenager to have done something wrong, however, Mrs Potter knew all about Sirius' family, and all her sympathies lay with the sixteen year old who stood before her, trying to keep face, trying to hide his hurt at five years of family rejection.

"He's left Mum. And he's not going back, he's staying here and if you don't want him to then I can move out with him because we can't make him go back, he's too good for them."

"James Potter! I wouldn't even think of turning Sirius out and you know it! Your father will have something to say when he gets home, I'm sure." She turned to Sirius. "He'll want to pay your parents a visit." Sirius just shrugged. If William Potter wanted to go see the Black family then he knew nothing he said would stop him, he just hoped they wouldn't ask him to join him. "Don't let it upset you, you're welcome here, you're always welcome here."

"I'm not upset, they're pureblood maniacs, they disgust me." He said, with loathing in his eyes that seemed far too old for him.

"You're a good boy, Sirius, now go on, take your stuff upstairs, pick a bedroom, then Jimmy can help you turn it into something fit for a teenage boy, cover it in pictures of half naked muggles, that's all he seems to do these days."

"_Mum!"_ A pink tinge had appeared in James' cheeks, he despised being called Jimmy, it made him sound about six. He grabbed Sirius' trunk and began to lug it up the stairs. "We'll send an owl to Monny and Wormtail, they'll probably be round first thing." He told his friend with a smile.

"Great, they can help me put up pictures of half naked muggles, can't they Jimmy?" He smirked and James removed his shoe, which quickly came in contact with Sirius' head.

"Now, now Jimmy, I'll tell Mummy."

"PADFOOT!" Sirius jumped the banister and quickly ran up the stairs, walking into the bedroom next to James' he shut the door and slumped down beside it, laughing heartily as James attempted to force the door open. "Padfoot, I've got your trunk, I'll steal your Chudley Cannons underwear and show it to the whole school!"

Sirius rolled away from the door, still laughing, and James kicked it open, he pulled Sirius' trunk in and promptly collapsed on top of it, imagining the look on Professor McGonagall's face if he announced the start of their sixth year at Hogwarts by hanging Sirius' boxer shorts out of the astronomy tower.


	2. More Like A Brother

Once their laughter subsided they moved Sirius' trunk to the corner of the room and began unpacking, James took some Quidditch posters down from his bedroom walls and they stuck them up in Sirius' new room, to make it feel more like home.

Once Mrs Potter had ushered them from the room so that she could change the sheets and make the place more tidy they wrote brief letters to their two best friends; Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, and sent them out with James' owl Nimbus, who was affectionately named after his racing broom, the Nimbus 1001. He'd had the owl since his first year at Hogwarts and his parents had since upgraded his broom, to the more advanced Nimbus 1500, but it still lay in the corner of his room, Sirius fiddled with it whilst James took Nimbus to the window, he flew off and James turned back to Sirius.

"We can go out on them tomorrow if you like."

"Yeah, maybe…" James patted his friend's back softly.

"What happened?"

"Regulus wants to be a Death Eater." Sirius said, as though that ended the conversation. James knew what sort of family Sirius had, they were a pureblood family, like James' own, but they despised muggles and muggleborns, and they weren't all that fond of "half-bloods" either. Sirius had never shared their values, not only was one of their best friends a half blood, he was also a werewolf. Something which had never been a problem for any of the four roommates, but had Sirius' family found out it was likely they would have demanded a change in his school house. James had to admit, when he first met Sirius' parents, he was surprised they hadn't already demanded he be moved. Sirius, along with James, Peter and Remus, was in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius' family, however, were all in Slytherin. They had been for centuries, everyone but Sirius himself that was.

Slytherin had turned out more dark wizards than any of the other houses, and prized purebloods above all others, although it wasn't unheard of for a half-blood to be sorted into Slytherin. Sirius was a disappointment to his family, and as far as James could tell, that was purely because Sirius was half way decent and his family were more than half way in the opposite direction.

Before James could respond to Sirius' explanation, his father entered the room. William Potter wasn't an especially tall man, but nor was he short, he had a kind nature and usually a smile upon his face, however, when he arrived in James' bedroom his expression was set, and he looked angry.

"Sirius." He said, his tone was soft, which possibly would have surprised an outsider, noting the look on his face as he spoke.

"Hello Mr Potter…"

"Did you leave, or did they throw you out?"

"I left." He was very clear about that, James admired his friend's bravery, Sirius might play the fool at school, they both messed around and neither was all that mature, but he'd had to put up with a lot, always being second best to his younger brother, who was not, as Sirius' father put it, a disgrace to the family name.

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." James wondered whether or not he should tell his father about Sirius' brother's ambition to join Voldemort; the darkest wizard ever to come out of Hogwarts. He decided against it and looked at his friend. Sirius was usually so cheerful that James wasn't sure how to act around him, but he decided that when he was ready to talk he would.

"I'll have to go see them. Let them know we've got you."

"You'd be better not to, they already think your blood traitors." William smiled.

"Well, what can you do when your son falls in love with a muggleborn?" Sirius smirked and James hit him with a pillow.

"I think it's rather sweet really." Sirius teased. "James loves his little Lily, don't you?" The pillow hit the back of Sirius' head again.

"Sirius, I really think we ought to go see them, you don't have to go back-"

"He isn't going to!" Sirius smiled at his friend, thankful for his eagerness to spring to his aid, he patted his back and mumbled a thank you.

"Okay, well, let's just go and see them, have this out."

"I don't have to go with you, do I?"

"It would be best, son."

"I'm coming too."

"James." His father scolded. James turned to Sirius for support on the matter, but he was staring out the window, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Padfoot, you want me to come, don't you…?"

"You don't want to, my family's vile and the house is awful… it's so dark. Not like your place."

"Our place is just… a house…"

"It's nicer, more fun. You never know what you'll find at my house, full of dark stuff, if the ministry ever raided it..." He laughed bitterly. "Maybe I should tip them off?"

"I'm coming with you. We won't be there long."

"No, I shouldn't think we'll be there very long at all, I think I'll just tell your father a few home truths, we'll pick up anything you've left behind, and then we'll come back here. I take it you've asked the rest of your band of brothers to stay, James?"

"Sent Nimbus out ten minutes ago." William smiled.

"We'll go see your parents in the morning, Sirius, I'm sure Remus and Peter won't arrive until the afternoon." Sirius nodded, knowing the battle was lost.

Once his father had left the room James offered Sirius a chocolate frog, and not another word was said about the Black family or the visit they would be giving them the next day.

The made a tower out of chocolate frog cards, played exploding snap, talked about quidditch, their plans for mischief when the term started and the things they could get up to for the rest of the summer holidays. It was the early hours of the morning when Mrs Potter rapped on James' door and walked in without waiting for a response to find her son lying on the floor, his legs upon his bed, whilst Sirius was sat beside him, leaning against the bed, they were huddled over a piece of parchment which James stuffed quickly out of sight when she arrived. "Come on you two, get to bed. Sirius I've put a lamp in your room and left your pyjamas out." She smiled at him, said goodnight and then left them to do the same.

"I don't know why she runs around after you…"

"Because I'm your guest."

"But you're a prat."

"Nice way to talk about your very best friend."

"Well, you know, you're more like a brother really." Sirius felt happier than he had done in a long time as he got into bed in his new room, James felt more like a brother than Regulus ever had done, and the Potters seemed glad to have him here, he just knew he wasn't going to have to worry about his brother, or the rest of the Black family, ever again.


	3. The House that Black Built

**A/N: Thanks for reading & especially thanks to those who've reviewed, it means a lot :)**

**Going to dedicate this one to MilyMB, thanks for the lovely review!**

Sirius' family home was in London, and James' father took the boys there via portkey, which was James' least favourite way to travel. He had asked to travel by broomstick, but that idea had been quickly shot down. After gripping onto a glowing teacup he shut his eyes, when he opened them again they were in a run down square, a street sign fixed to the wall of one of the houses that towered above them told him they had arrived in Grimmauld Place.

"Is this is, Sirius?" William Potter asked. He merely nodded and glanced up at number twelve with strong distaste. The area appeared to be inhabited by many muggles which surprised James, he had expected the Black family to live in an area dominated by wizards. He turned to looked at his best friend, who's expression was set.

"You can wait out here if you want Prongs…"

"No, I'm coming with you." He smiled at him supportively but it just made Sirius' heart plummet, he didn't want James to know just how dark his family was, he had learnt enough from his brief meetings with his parents, and from his brother Regulus, who was in the year below them at school, and who played seeker for the Slytherin quidditch team, often against James, who had been named captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team at the start of their fifth year.

He opened the front door without another word, sensing James and William following him he feared their reactions when they learned just what sort of family he had come from.

The entrance hall was dimly lit and long and the house had a very eerie atmosphere, as though no one should be permitted to speak. James got the impression the only time voices were ever raised in this house was when Sirius argued with his parents. The silence was broken by a voice that James couldn't find the source of.

"It has returned! It is here to desecrate the name of Black! The blood traitor has returned to the home of it's father and it's mother, it has returned to do mischief! It has brought more blood traitors with it! Mistress will be very displeased with you, blood traitor."

"Shut up Kreacher." Sirius snapped. James followed his gaze to where an old house elf stood snarling at Sirius' feet, it could not disobey an order from a member of the family it served and had indeed shut up. James' family hadn't had a house elf for generations, when the last one had died the Potters hadn't replaced it, James often said how much he'd like one but his mother was insistent that a little hard work never did anyone any harm, despite the fact that they could certainly afford a house elf, it was something they felt they could get along without.

"Is your….master…home?" William asked. Kreacher ignored him.

"Answer him."

"Kreacher will not speak to blood traitors, no sir, Kreacher is only speaking to Master Sirius because Kreacher must, but he is a vile brat and should be locked up. The blood traitor's mother was right to take him off the family tree, oh yes."

"My mother did what?!"

"Oh nothing Master Sirius, nothing."

"Answer me. Tell me what my mother did."

"Oh Master Sirius is gone, gone from the family tree! Burnt out!" He yelled gleefully. Sirius glared.

"Where is my father?"

"Master Orion does not wished to be disturbed. Mistress Walburga is in the reading room. But Kreacher will not fetch her, no sir, not for the dirty disgrace."

"Go and get my father, that's an order." Kreacher did as he had been asked, swearing and cursing all the way up the stairs.

"If your family are anything like that, mate, then I understand why you left." Sirius nodded and walked up the stairs after Kreacher, James and William followed and Sirius pushed open the door to the first room he came to. "It's the drawing room, they keep the family tree in here." He mumbled slightly as an explanation. Walking over to a large tapestry he found his parents' names and glanced to where his own should be, it had indeed been burnt out. He touched the black mark gently. A voice behind them spoke.

"It's not like you didn't earn that."

"No child earns that, Black." William Potter snapped.

"What are you doing here?" Orion Black growled.

"I've come to talk about Sirius. Boys, go and gather the rest of Sirius' things together, then we'll head back home, Alexandra will have cooked something nice I'm sure." He smiled softly at them and turned to glare at Sirius' father. The boys left the room, Sirius taking one last fleeting look at the tapestry on the way out. But they didn't go up to Sirius' room right away, but leaned against the door, listening to their fathers.

"Potter, would you leave my home?"

"We need to talk about your son."

"He's no son of mine. He's not part of this family." James glanced at his friend, checking his expression. Sirius seemed unsurprised and leaned further into the door, pressing his ear against the wood.

"You're his father."

"He's a disgrace to the Black family name!"

"The Black family name? Is that all you are about? You, Black, are a disgrace to the name of wizard!"

"I think, you'll find, it is blood traitors and muggle lovers like you who disgrace the name of wizard, why don't you go find some mudblood children to worry about, that boy isn't worth much more than they are." James half expected to hear the sound of fist on bone, but his father kept his temper in check.

"Sirius is worth ten of you, he's a good boy, a good wizard and what's more he's got his priorities perfectly straight, it's who a person is that matters, not their blood status."

"He comes from the noble and most ancient house of Black! There is nothing more important that blood status!" They boys held their breath, expecting a fight. But if there was one they never got to hear it, at that moment Sirius' younger brother came down the stairs.

"Oh look who it is, the prodigal son returns, they won't take you back if they've got any sense. And listening at doors too, well, what else can I expect from _you_?"

"Shut up, _Death Eater._" Regulus didn't take this as an insult, but rather smiled proudly and pushed past the older boys. James gave Sirius a sympathetic smile before glancing up the stairs.

"Let's go get your stuff, I want to see your room." Sirius smiled for the first time since they'd entered the house and led James up a second staircase, past Regulus' room, the door of which he kicked on the way, towards his own. James, however, was distracted by the opposing wall, all along which there were heads of what looked to be house elves. "Padfoot, are those…?"

"House elves? Yeah. My family are a bit… well, you've met them." He opened his bedroom door. "Kreacher can't wait to get his head up there." He sighed happily when he got inside his bedroom and James grinned, it was such a contrast to the rest of the house. The walls were filled with Gryffindor banners and quidditch posters, photos of the boys and their friends and, much like James' own walls, pictures of bikini clad muggles. "There isn't much left to take… most of those posters won't come down…I picked most stuff up before I left." James peeled the pictures that would come down from the wall whilst Sirius packed various bits and pieces he'd left behind into a bag. They were just about to leave the room when they heard shouting from below. Sirius cursed under his breath.

"That's my mum…" James nodded. "Come on, if we're quick we could, grab your dad and run." The boys raced down the stairs, occasionally catching some of the words pouring from Walburga Black's mouth. "Traitor! Filthy little scumbag! Doesn't deserve to set foot in this house! Sets such a bad example for Regulus! Gives us all a bad reputation!" William smiled when he spotted the boys.

"Right you two, got everything? Let's head back." He glanced at Sirius' parents. "I've heard enough."


	4. Lean On Us

**A/N: More! Sorry for the delay, and may I thank The Remus Lupins for making me think of this fic and thus reminding me, inadvertently, to update it. **

**Moony has arrived! And yes, he shall be rather more sensitive to Sirius' feelings while he's about, but I'm not shipping them, I've just decided that Remus is the most likely candidate for the Sensitive Marauder award.**

There was already someone in James' room when the boys arrived back at the Potters'. They had decided to go out for a quick fly before their friends arrived and had raced up the stairs, shouting a quick hello to Alexandra on their way past.

The boy had looked as though he had fought many a battle, his face was covered in scars, as were his arms. He was staring out the window, awaiting their return, he turned when they ran through the door, making more noise than a Hippogriff on the rampage. They exchanged grins when they saw him and propelled themselves onto the bed, engulfing him in a brotherly hug and clapping him on the back several times.

"Moony!" They shouted in unison.

"You're early." James said with a smile.

"Yeah, my parents drove me up, they thought it'd take longer than it did."

"They _drove_ you?"

"Like in a car?"

"That muggles drive?"

"My mum _is_ a muggle, James."

"Well yes, but… oh I wish we'd seen it." Remus laughed. Sirius nodded in agreement with James & sprawled out on the bed. "Padfoot, shove over." Sirius made no effort to move so James just jumped back onto the bed, landing right on Sirius' legs, his actions were met with a string of obscenities. Remus flicked his wand and cast a silencing spell on their friend, who looked furious.

"Having a nice summer Moony?" James asked, still sat on Sirius' legs. The back of his head was met with a pillow and he tumbled forward, landing on the floor in a heap, he pulled at his best friend's leg and let him tumble to the floor beside him with a bang. Remus spread out on the now empty bed and James' mother stuck her head around the door.

"What's going on in here?" The boys, all with identical grins, tried to suppress their laughter as Remus propped himself up on his elbow, appearing not to have noticed Alexandra, and looked at James.

"Yes thank you James, I have been having a spectacular summer, and was highly offended to have it interrupted by your sudden summons." Alexandra shook her head and left them to it, shutting the door behind her. "Why am I here, anyway?"

"Because Sirius is."

"Is he really? You know, I hadn't noticed." He smiled at the other boys, who were both leaning against James' bedroom wall, they truly were a double act, he could see why people mistook them for brothers. "I thought we said the 14th? After the full moon."

"We did, but-" He paused looking at Sirius, who was scratching at a mark on the wooden floor. "But Sirius came early."

"I can't stay all summer."

"Sure you can."

"I'll stay 'til y'know…"

"Time of the month?" Sirius put in, a smirk on his lips. Remus rolled his eyes.

"And again Sirius, my boy, I am not a girl."

"He shall stay until his furry little problem arises, at which point we shall send him away, banish him to the corners of the earth for smelling like he baths occasionally!"

"I do not."

"What, bath occasionally?"

"Oh shut up." He kicked out at James, who screwed up his face.

"God, your feet stink." He glanced at his watch and jumped up. "Peter'll be here soon, I'll go wait in the garden for him, Sirius can help you unpack, you're sharing my room, Peter snores so he can sleep in Padfoot's" He disappeared before Sirius could object, but heard the sound of a shoe colliding with his door as he bolted down the stairs.

Remus looked at Sirius once James had gone. "You've got your own room?"

"I've moved in." Remus climbed off the bed and put a brotherly arm around him.

"You alright?" It was barely more than a whisper and Sirius tipped his head back against the wall, he could lie to James because James only had four emotions; happy, hyper, angry and 'Lily-ed up', so he found it harder to pick up when Sirius was pretending to be happy when he wasn't, either that or he just didn't know how to handle it. But Remus was different, he could pick up on everyone's emotions, the marauders often joked that it came with being a werewolf, all these extra senses he'd developed. So Sirius didn't lie, he just didn't say anything. "Padfoot, if you want to cry you can….James isn't here and I won't tell anyone."

"I don't want to." He nodded and unzipped his rucksack, he started to unpack and when, after a few minutes, he turned to looked at Sirius, tears were rolling down his face. Remus dropped to his knees beside his friend and hugged him. He had seen Peter cry several times, and they'd seen James look downright miserable on multiple occasions (a side effect of his 'Lily-ed up' emotion), but he had never seen Sirius this upset. And whilst Peter, James and Remus himself had all shed tears in front of their friends, Sirius was the strong one, the unemotional one, always happy. But Remus hugged him until he stopped crying and then leaned back against the bed.

"What happened, then?"

"We were having dinner and Regulus told them, my parents, he wants to join the Death Eaters when he leaves school." Sirius wiped furiously at his eyes, annoyed at himself for letting it get to him, he had known it was coming and he had thought he was immune to it now, everything they threw at him, but he couldn't deny seeing his name burnt from the family tree like that had hurt him. "So I told him exactly what I thought."

"Bet that went down well."

"Abomination my mum called me. Scum of her flesh. Dirtying their blood with mudblood loving, she said." There was loathing in his voice as he spoke. "Hanging out with half bloods and muggleborns, hardly surprising, their impurities'd rub off on me." He spat out angrily. "That was my dad."

"James and Peter are purebloods… it's just me, sorry."

"Why're you sorry? I chose to be your friend, it's who you are that matters, not your blood, and you're a better bloke than most purebloods."

"So are you."

"I am a pureblood. Unfortunately." He wiped his eyes again, new tears were forming. He hadn't noticed the door open, he hadn't noticed James come in, followed by the final member of the quartet, Peter Pettigrew. James knelt on Sirius' other side and Peter sat on the bed, opposite him. They remained that way, in a comfortable silence, for a good few minutes. It was James who spoke first.

"Padfoot, we're your family, all of us."

**A/N:** **Sorry, that was a bit short. Sirius being disowned by his family's quite an emotional thing for him but I want the fic to stay fairly light so I just wanted to move on really. If anyone's got any suggestions though, I'd love to hear them. Reviews are much love!**


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